


Who's The Father?

by ladyoneill



Series: Lady O's Teen Wolf Bingo Stories [25]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Babies, Emissary Stiles Stilinski, F/M, Het and Slash, M/M, Mates, Pack Dynamics, Scent Marking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-30
Updated: 2013-12-30
Packaged: 2018-01-06 16:33:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1109063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyoneill/pseuds/ladyoneill
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cora gives birth to her twins, still refuses to name the father, and Peter's not happy about that.  Meanwhile, Stiles figures it out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Who's The Father?

**Author's Note:**

> Written for my final Hurt/Comfort bingo prompt "secret identity discovered" which was HARD. It's not your traditional reveal, like a superhero or anything, so I hope it works. We do find out the father of Cora's babies and it was a secret for good reasons. I didn't list all tags in order to keep the surprise.

Cora's propped up in her bed, a baby in each arm, looking deliriously happy and exhausted all at the same time. On one side of her sits Derek, his hand on her stomach, drawing out her pain despite her growling half-heartedly at him that she's already healing. Stiles sits on the other side gazing rapturously at the little boy with a tuft of black hair on top of his head who's drooling and blinking weak blue eyes at the world. One of his hands rests on the baby's back; the other on his swollen stomach, and he hopes he's carrying a boy.

Not that he won't adore another girl, of course, he thinks as he looks over at the pink bundled girl Derek's now taking from his sister's tired arm.

"They're both beautiful, Cora," Stiles says softly and she smiles at him but there's a hint of worry in her eyes that confuses him. "We'll all adore them."

"Is...is Uncle Peter here?"

Oh.

Trying not to frown, he gives her a reassuring nod instead. As Cora got closer and closer to giving birth, Peter closed up more on the subject. Originally, while he wanted to know the sire's identity, he was mostly just thrilled with the prospect of more Hale cubs, but as Cora continued to refuse to reveal the truth and her due date got closer, Peter grew unhappy with the situation and her attitude.

Some unknown man could claim those cubs and take them away.

Peter's afraid to grow attached.

"Yeah, um, he'll be up soon."

Cora's eyes drop along with her smile. "He still wants me to name the father."

It's Derek that responds, trying to be gentle. "If another wolf claims your cubs, Cora, depending on his status in his own Pack, Peter might have no choice but to give them to him. You can refuse to take him as mate, but..."

"He won't," Cora protests and that's the moment Stiles knows for sure that she _does_ know who the father is. For a long time he's wondered if maybe she didn't.

But, she revealed something else as well.

"So it is a werewolf," Derek states flatly.

Cora nervously nibbles on her lower lip and hugs her son closer.

A sound from the doorway draws their attention and Peter, face solemn, enters the room. Stiles rises to stand at his side, and Derek hands the little girl back to Cora.

"I need to know who sired these cubs, Cora. It's obvious that you do know. Somehow you masked the scent from me, but a wolf is the sire, that I can smell. He has a claim."

"He won't make one. He promised," she cries desperately. "If I don't tell you, will you refuse my cubs?"

"Of course not." Peter sinks into the chair Stiles vacated and takes her wrist, bending to scent her there. "They're Hales." With a sigh, he relents, and Stiles feels his own tense shoulders relax. "Have you named them?"

Blinking away tears of relief, Cora hands him the boy. "I...I didn't ask, Derek, but is it okay if I give him daddy's name?" As the surviving son he should have the first option, but he smiles and nods. "Then Andrew. Andrew Michael."

Peter cradles the newborn to his chest, bringing its tiny nose to his bare neck, and as the baby draws in a breath, he bends and scents the tiny head, the nape of the cub's neck.

With each of his births Stiles was too out of it to witness Peter doing this, scenting, accepting a cub into the Pack, and his heart leaps into his throat at the sight. Someone is damn well recording this when their next cub is born.

Little Andrew mewls and yawns and Peter smiles, then hands the boy back to his niece, before reaching for the girl. "And this little sweetheart?" 

"Arabella Marie."

As Peter scents the second cub in the same way as the first, Stiles frowns. That name is...familiar.

"Is that a family name, too?"

Cora startles and shakes her head. "No. I just like it."

Derek frowns as well and opens his mouth, but then snaps it shut.

"Both your cubs are welcome in our Pack, Cora," Peter says before handing Arabella back to her. Smiling gently, he rises to brush a kiss over his niece's forehead. "Get some sleep. You're going to need it."

After placing the twins in matching bassinets beside her bed, they leave her to rest and all three go silently downstairs to the library. Peter pours wine for he and Derek and gets Stiles a bottle of water, before turning to his mate and asking, "What is the name Arabella to you?"

"I...I don't know. It's unusual, but I _swear_ I know someone named that."

"A classmate or a teacher? Friend of your dad's?"

"No." Taking a sip of water, he rubs his forehead in frustration. "It's going to drive me nuts."

Derek lifts his head from brooding into his still full wine glass and mutters, "She lied. It is a family name."

Frowning, Peter sits on the edge of his desk and takes a drink before saying firmly, "Not ours. Not for four generations back on either side."

"The father then?"

"I wish I knew why she won't tell us." Peter sighs in annoyance.

"I thought maybe...Well, first I thought she didn't know, but then another possibility was...She can be so secretive."

"Not rape, Stiles," Peter assures him. "There would be no reason to hide his identity if that was the case. Her wolf would have demanded we seek vengeance."

"I don't like that she masked his scent from us," Derek growls.

"None of it makes any sense. She as well as admitted he's a wolf. We could have had an alliance with his Pack." Peter reaches for the bottle to refill his glass.

"What if he's married?" Stiles asks, and they all frown. "That would be a good reason for the scent masking and her keeping it a secret."

"She should know better," Peter growls and they all lapse into silence. Cora is stubborn, a mama wolf able to fight his Alpha commands on the subject, and Peter does love her. He doesn't want to push her too far.

"They are cute kids," Stiles finally says and the tension lifts somewhat.

*****

It comes to him three nights later, just as he's falling asleep, and it jolts him to full wakefulness.

He remembers an Arabella.

And with her identity revealed, it all makes sense.

Sinking back into his pillow, Stiles just shakes his head, wondering why they're all being such dumb asses, but then a memory hits, of Peter making one thing very clear.

Sighing, he rolls onto his side and wonders what to do.

*****

Phone full of pictures of the twins, own baby bump hidden beneath an overlarge hoodie, Stiles knocks on the door and rocks on his feet, waiting for it to open.

When it does, he holds up the phone with a picture of Cora holding both babies on the screen, and says, "You want to explain this?"

Scott stares at the picture as if he's a man dying of thirst staring at a glass of water. With a trembling hand he takes the phone and steps back, letting Stiles inside. Closing the door, he weakly leans against it as Stiles crosses his arms over his chest and taps his foot in annoyance. "Explain what?"

Rolling his eyes, Stiles takes back his phone. "I don't know, Scott _Michael_ , maybe I'll give your grandma Bella-- _Arabella_ \--a call."

"She...she named them...?"

"Andrew Michael and Arabella Marie."

Legs giving out, Scott slides down the door and buries his face in his knees. "Does Peter know?" he whimpers.

Heart breaking, Stiles sits awkwardly in front of his best friend. "No. He's annoyed she won't tell him who the father is. But, it makes sense now." When Scott just whimpers again, Stiles gentles his tone of voice. "They have your hair color, but that could be from Talia and Derek. They have Cora's skin tone. Peter can't differentiate their scent yet because they still smell like Cora, but he knows your scent intimately, Scott. Once they develop their own unique scents, he'll figure it out. You guys need to come clean."

"You know why we can't!" Scott lifts his head and there are tears in his eyes.

"He's accepted them into our Pack. He won't hurt them or Cora, or, fuck, you, Scott. That was five years ago!"

"He said no alliances between our Packs and he meant it."

"Again, five years ago. So much has changed. He mated me for power. He never planned to love me. Hell, he never planned to love our cubs! All that has changed. He'll understand." When Scott just stares at him, the tears now leaking from the corners of his eyes--eyes the same shape of baby Andrew's--Stiles sighs heavily. "Do you love her?"

"I...I...no, but I don't _not_ love her."

That makes no sense, but Stiles lets it slide. "Do you want her as your mate?"

"We both know that we have to make alliances outside of Beacon Hills."

"That's Peter talking."

"He's right, though." Scott doesn't sound so sure, though.

"Would you, though, if he was okay with it? Would you make a family with your babies?"

"Of course! The moment she told me she was pregnant, I offered. _She's_ the one who refused. And...maybe she's right. We don't love each other, Stiles, but...Fuck, I want my babies."

Knowing how he'd feel if he couldn't hold his own kids every day, Stiles' moves over to sit next to Scott, and wraps an arm around his shoulder, dragging his head down as he cries. "You can claim them."

"No." He sniffles and wipes his eyes, but doesn't lift his head from his best friend's shoulder. "I couldn't do that to her. An official claim, as sire, and an Alpha, she'd have to give them to me. Peter would have to relinquish them, and even if he let Cora go, too, if he agreed to an alliance, Cora doesn't want that. She doesn't want to leave her Pack."

"Peter's going to figure it out. Better the two of you tell him first, make some kind of arrangement to share your cubs."

"He scares the shit out of me, Stiles," Scott whispers, making Stiles snort.

"Yeah, no kidding, but he won't hurt you, sure won't hurt _her_. Come clean. Even if he mates her off in the future, she won't be leaving the Pack; we'll take her mate in. Peter's not giving up his family for anything." Which is true, so, yeah, even just across town isn't going to happen. Stiles is actually relieved that Scott and Cora didn't fall in love. Romeo and Juliet, they do not need. They already had that in high school with Scott and Allison.

"Yeah. Okay. She's going to be so pissed at me." Banging his head back against the door, Scott huffs, then holds out his hand. "You have more pictures, I'm sure."

"Dozens." Turning on his phone and bringing up the album, he hands over the phone. "They're adorable, Scott."

"And...healthy?"

"Yeah. Cora made it to just two weeks before we figured her due date was. They're good sized for twins. Andrew's six pounds, four ounces and Arabella's just six pounds. Both are going to be tall, I think."

"Cora was huge." Scott flips through the pictures, delight on his face and shining in his eyes. "Three weeks ago she came over and kicked me in the nuts."

Stiles bursts into laughter and hugs his dorky best friend. "Yeah, she would."

"Mom's going to do the same thing when she finds out I kept grandkids from her," Scott groans in sudden realization.

"Probably. Luckily you're a werewolf and you heal fast."

Scott snorts, then melts at a picture of Andrew yawning against Cora's neck. "Do you think they're wolves?"

"They both scent mark instinctively, so yeah, we're pretty sure. When their own scents change in a few more days, we'll know for sure."

"I don't care, you know."

"None of us do, buddy."

They lapse into warm silence as they continue to flip through the pictures, and Stiles knows he has to make this work for everyone.

He's the Emissary, after all. This kind of thing is his job.

Plus, Scott's going to make a great dad; he's always known that.

End


End file.
